Mail catching and delivering apparatus.



J. D. DENBURGER.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. l9l6.

1,225,594 Patented May 8, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR JOSEPH QUE-1N BU RGER J. D. DENBURGER.

'MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. I9l6.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES SEPH DNBURGER ATTORNEY ms NORRIS Psrsns co Puomumo"WASNINGYUN. 5 c4 J. D. DENBURGER.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, I916.

11. ,%25,594 Patented May 8, 19 17.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

III m:

INVENTOR Jose PM D DENbuRGER WITNESSES ATTOR N EY n45" uDRRlsPETERSm-.FHOml-ITNO..WASHINO1DN. n c

J. D. DENBURGE'R.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1916.

L225,59%@ Patented May 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

lNVENTOFl UO$EPH D. Dewsu RGER ATTORNEY JOSEPH I). DENBURGER, OF LENTS,OREGON.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, MP1? Application filed May 22, 1916. Serial No. 99,178.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JosnPH D. DENBURGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lents, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Catching andDelivering Apparatus, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a mail catchingand delivering apparatus.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus ofthis character which will receive the mail on the train and deliver themail from the train to a receptacle mounted adjacent the track.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a receptaclesecured or mounted adjacent the track in such a manner that it can beadjusted to receive the mail from trains traveling in either direction.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means forclosing the receptacle after it has caught the mail and the provision ofa catch for holding the receptacle in closed position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a receptacle adaptedto be secured to the car for receiving the mail from a crane mountedadjacent the track, said receptacle being so mounted that it can beswung into the car when not in use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for hanginga bag from the car whereby it may be deposited into the receptacle alongthe track, and means for supporting a bag along the track whereby it maybe deposited in the receptacle connected to the car.

WVith these and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel details of construction and arrangement of parts which will bemore clearly understood from the following description and drawings, inwhich,

Figure 1 is a side view of the track receptacle in closed position,

Fig. 2 is a front view of the track receptacles, showing them in openposition, ready for receiving a mail bag,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the track receptacle showing itopen for receiving the mail sacks,

Fig. 4 is a fragmental transverse vertical section through a car,showing the receptacle secured to the car, said receptacle being shownwithin the car and shown in dotted lines swung out of the car ready forreceiving the bag,

Fig. 5 is a fragmental detail showing a rear View of the guiding memberfor the receptacle,

Fig. 6 is a fragmental vertical section through the receptacle showingthe locking catch,

Fig. 7 is a fragmental side view of the releasing means for the catch,

Fig. 8 is a fragmental side view of the stand for the track crane, partsbeing shown 1n section,

Fig. 9 is a transverse section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, looking in thedirection of the arrows,

Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-1O of Fig. 3,

Fig. 11 is a fragmental side view, partly in section, of the arm forsupporting the bag to be delivered,

Fig. 12 is a fragmental elevation of a de tail, and

Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section of the closure plate.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the stand of the track crane,and said stand is provided on the lower end with a flange 2 whereby itmay be secured to a tie or other suitable support by means of bolts 3 orother suitable fastening elements. The stand 1 is provided with avertical opening, the purpose of which will be presently described, anda flange 4 is formed on the top of the stand and has thecircumferentially spaced notches or openings 5 therein.Circumferentially spaced staples 6 are secured to the stand beneath theflange 4 and the purpose of which will be presently described. The trackcrane comprises a post 7 the lower end of which is adapted to bereceived in the opening formed in the stand 1, as is more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. A collar or band 8 is adapted tobe secured to the post 7 above the flange 4 of the stand 1 and an arm 9is pivotally connected to the band 8 and is adapted to be received inone of the notches or openings 5 when in lowered position. The arm 9 isprovided with an opening through which one of the staples 6 may pass andto lock or secure the arm in lowered position, it is only necessary toengage a padlock or other suitable fastening means through the staple.By removing the padlock or other fastening element the arm may be swungupwardly until it disengages from the notch or opening 5 and the post 7can then be rotated in the stand for the purpose as will be presentlydescribed.

5 Vertically spaced rods 10 and 11 are so cured to each side of the post7 and the mail bag receiving receptacles are adapted to be secured tothese rods. The mail bag receiving receptacles are each composed of two1 swinging sections, the upper section being upper sections areindicated at 12 and the lower sections at 13. The lower sections 13 are01 such a width whereby they will be received between the sides of theupper receptacles 12. The sections 12 and 13 are'supported upon the rods10 and 11 by the rods passing through eyelets or sleeves 1 1 which areformed upon plates 15 which are secured to the sections of thereceptacles in any desired manner. These eyes or sleeves are of such aninterior bore as to allow the sections to swing freely upon the rods.The upper edges of one side of the lower receptacle 13 are cut on anangle, as indicated at 16', thereby leaving a space between the loweredge of the section 12 and the upper edge of the section 13, as is moreclearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings and the purpose of whichwill be presently described. The lower sections 13 are also cut away atthe rear from the top edge to form the space indicated at 17 whereby anopening 18 formed between the upper section and lower section. Thepurpose of this opening wlll belater described. An L-shaped guide strip181s secured to the rear of each lower section 13 of V the receptacle,the detail of construction being more clearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and10 of the drawings, and an L-shaped plate 19 is secured to the loweredge of the top section 12 and is provided with an extension 20 adaptedto extend under the L-shaped guide strip 18 secured to the lowersection.

The lower sections 13 are provided on the front edge with a flangeindicated at 21,

said flange having an opening 22 formed near each end thereof. Springcatches 23 are secured to the upper sections and are provided with theenlarged heads 24 which are adapted to pass through the openings 22 andengage the underside of the flange 21.

hen the enlarged heads 2d engage the un- *"derside of the flange 21, thesectlons are locked together. A red 251s mounted on the interior of theupper section 12 by means of the ends passing through the sides of thesections and one end of said rod 25 is square, as indicated at 26, moreparticularly in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Arms 27 are secured to the rod25 near each end thereof and said arms 27 are adapted to pass throughslots formed in the upper section 12 and on the outer ends carry a rod28 which is secured to the spring catch arms 23. By engaging the squaredend 26 with a key the rod 25 may be rotated thereby drawing thespringcateh arm 23 inwardly toward the receptacle whereby the enlargedhead 21 may be withdrawn through the slots 22 formed in the flange 21.

Rods or arms are secured to thepost 7 beneath the receptacle and on eachside of the post, and said rods or arms comprise the sections 29 and 30hingedly connected together at31. The section 29 is provided on theouter end with a recess indicated at 32 more particularly in Fig. 11 ofthe drawings, and a coil-spring 33 is secured in said recess and is alsoconnected to the extension 3 1 "formed on the inner end of thesection30. The hinge connection 31 isformed by the extension 34extending into a slot formed in the end of the section 29 and a pin 35which passes through the end of the section 29 and the extension 3%.

For receiving the mail upon a car, and delivering a'bag from the car tothe track receptacle, I provide a receptacle and supporting arm ofthesame detail construction as described for the track crane; The construc-7 tion of the car apparatus is more particularly shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings and the numeral 36 illustrates a section of a car of ordinaryconstruction, and 37 illustrates the door opening. A post 38 is mountedon the interior of the. car adjacent the door opening 37 by means of theends of the post passing through the top and bottom of the car. Upperand lower rods 10 and 4&1, respectively, are secured to the post and therods 410 support the upper section -fl2 of a receptacle of the sameconstruction as de scribed for the tii'ack crane and the rods 41 supportthe lower sections 43' of the recepta -V clc. The remaining parts of thereceptacle are of the same detailed constructlon as that previouslydescribed for the receptacle on in substantially rigid; positions withrespect;

to the car floor, so as to consequently hold the receptacle carriedthereby in various adjusted positions within and exteriorly of the carand to incidentally facilitate rotation of the post Ihave' arranged aplate ld about the post 38 and secured the same to the For receiving themail sacks floor. This plate is provided with a plurality of uniformlyspaced openings 47. A clamp 48 is secured to the post above the platewhile a stud 49 is formed thereon. An operating handle 50 is pivoted tothe stud and has a pin 51 pivoted to the inner end thereof and slidablein an opening in the clamp and adapted to removably engage one of theopenings 47 for locking purposes.

In Fig. 12, T have illustrated a modified form of receptacle on the carand in this instance have provided the rear end of the lower sectionwith another opening 52 on the inclined edge of the section opposite theopening 17. A closure plate 53 is adapted to be removably associatedwith the lower section to close the openings 17 and 52. The preferablemeans for connecting the plate comprises spaced legs rigidly connectedto the lower sides of the plate and removably straddled about thesection 43. As will be appreciated the arms will pass through the outerof these openings during the progress of the train, the plate serving toclose the inner opening. When the end of the line is reached the plate53 may be shifted to close the other opening and the receptacle swunginto proper position.

Having fully described the details of construction it is thought thatthe operation and advantages of my device will be clearly understood.When the mail sacks are to be transferred from one car to the crane andfrom the crane to the car, the receptacle and arm of the post 38 of thecar are swung until they extend outwardly from the door, as is clearlyillustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and the post 7 ofthe track crane is swung so as to bring the open sides of the receptacleon the post facing the approaching train. The sections 12 and 13 and 42and 43 of the crane receptacle and car receptacle, respectively, areswung upon the supporting rods to assume the position more clearlyillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, whereby the front of thereceptacles will open to receive the bags. The bag to be delivered fromthe car to the crane is hung upon the section 45 secured to the rod 44and the bag to be delivered from the crane to the car is hung upon thesection 30 secured to the rod 29. As the train approaches the bagcarried thereby will be deposited into the receptacle upon the trackcrane and that bag carried by the track crane will be deposited in thereceptacle carried by the car. The force of the bag hitting the backwall of the lower section of the receptacle will swing such sectiondownwardly thereby closing the upper section over the lower section andthe enlarged heads 24 of the spring-catches 23 will pass through theopenings 22 formed in the flanges 21 and the sections will be lockedtogether by said enlarged heads engaging the underside of the flange. Itwill be understood that the operation is the same in both the cranereceptacle and the car receptacle, and by having the sections 30 and 45,respectively, hingedly connected to the rods 29 and 44, it will be seenthat the said sections will give when the bag contacts with thereceptacle and that the spring 33 will return the sections to theirnormal position after depositing the bags. By having the upper edge ofthe lower receptacle inclined, as indicated at 16, it will leave a spacefor the arms to pass therethrough and they will also pass through theopening 17 in the rear of the lower section of the receptacle.

The post 7 of the track crane is preterably mounted between the twotracks of the railroad when double tracks are used and after the bag iscaught the post may be rotated so that the receptacles will extendparallel with the track. If my apparatus is to be used with a singletrack railway, the post 4 will be mounted adjacent one side of thetrack. It will be seen that by rotating the post 7, the receptacles maybe brought into such a position as to receive the sacks from a traintraveling in either direction. After the post 7 is rotated it is held inits adjusted position by means of the arms 9 engaging in one of thenotches 5 formed in the flange 4 of the stand 1. When it is desired toremove the bag, which has been deposited in the receptacle, the rod 25is retated by means of a key, in the possession of an authorized person,said key being engaged with the squared end 26 of the rod.

The L-shaped guide member 18 in connection with the plate 19 andextension 20 guide the two sections of the receptacle when closing andbrings them into proper position.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In mail bag receiving means, a supporting post, and a receptaclecarried thereby composed of a plurality of sections mounted for movementtoward and away from each other and slidably connected at their rearedges whereby, when one of said sections is subjected to pressureadjacent its rear edge, the two said sections are moved toward eachother to close the receptacle.

2. In mail bag receiving means, a supporting post, and a receptaclecarried thereby composed of two rockably mounted sections having theirrear edges slidably connected whereby, when one of said sections issubjected to pressure adjacent its rear edge, the two said sections aremoved toward each other to close the receptacle.

3. In mail bag receiving means, a supporting post, and a receptaclecarried thereby composed of two superposed sections mounted for movementtoward and away'from each other and slidably connected at their rearedges, the upper edge of one side of the lower one of said sectionsbeing inclined and said lower section being provided with an opening atthe lower end of this inclination.

4:. In a mailbag receiving means, a receptacle having a lower sectionpivotally mounted on a horizontal axis, and a similarly mounted uppersection, the axes of the two said sections being in the same verticalplane, and the rear edge of one of said sections being slidablyconnected to the other section.

5. In mail bag receiving means, a. receptacle having a lower sectionpivotally mounted on a horizontal axis, a similarly mounted uppersection, a guide strip secured to the rear portion of the lower section,and a guide member secured to the upper section and engaging about theguide strip so as to slidably connect the two said sections.

6. In mail bag receiving means, a post, two rods secured to said post insuperposed spaced relation, and a receptacle carried by said postcomprising a lower section pivotally mounted on the lower one of saidrods,

and an upper section similarly mounted on the upper oneof said rods, thetwo said sections being slidably connected at their rear edges.

7. In mail bag receiving means, a post, two rods secured to said post insuperposed spaced relation, a semi-cylindrical receiving memberpivotally mounted on the lower one of said rods, a semi-cylindricalreceiving member pivotally mounted on the upper rod of greater interiorlength than the exterior length of the lower receiving member, a guidestrip secured to the lower member in spaced relation thereto andconcentric therewith, and guide member secured to the said upperreceiving member and engaging about said guide strip whereby slidingconnection is established between the two said receiving members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH D. DENBURGER. Witnesses:

FRANK DE LANOIs, WILLIAM KENDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 1

